On the Spot: Sen. Bruce Whitehead

Editor’s note: Each week during the legislative session, Denver Post political reporters will sit down with Capitol newsmakers. This Q&A was edited for length.

Democrat Bruce Whitehead brought an expertise in water issues to the legislature when he was appointed to a vacant Senate seat last summer.

The 51-year-old Fort Collins native lives about 15 miles southwest of Durango with his wife, Becca, and their two daughters, Isabel, 10, and Risa, 8.

Q. You took the seat held by Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, who resigned to take a federal ag job. I think people were surprised to learn that in this vast Senate district, Isgar’s successor also hailed from Hesperus.

A. I live in a very rural community. I got the choice of two post offices, Hesperus or Marvel. I asked what was the difference, and they said in Marvel, I would have a post office box and Hesperus delivered. So I opted for Hesperus for my mailing address. I didn’t want to drive 10 miles to get my mail.

Q. As soon you got appointed there was a target on your back. In fact, Republican Sen. Shawn Mitchell got into a bit of trouble from Democrats this year when he referred to you as “Sen. OneYear” during debate on the Senate floor.

A. It’s been challenging, but I have taken the position that I am here to do my job, and I’ll worry about the campaign after the session.

I got a lot of compliments, even from staffers, who thought I handled the Mitchell incident appropriately. I got up and all I said was, “For the record, it is Sen. Whitehead.” I have always assumed — and still believe — we should be civil when we’re on the floor.

There were some who definitely did not appreciate the remark. My sister (Robbi Cunningham from Windsor) was one of them. She said the name should actually have been “Sen. NoFear,” not “Sen. OneYear.”

Q. What surprised you the most when you got up here?

A. There is a huge volume of work, and it moves very quickly. I’m up late at night and up early in the morning trying to read bills and staying up with e-mails.

Q. Your resume might as well just have one word: water.

A. I graduated from Colorado State University in 1981 with a degree in civil engineering.

I worked for the state of Colorado’s Division of Water Resources, from 1982 through 2007. I retired as a division engineer. My first 11 years were in the San Luis Valley in the Alamosa office. I started as a field person. I measured water and in the winter time had to chop ice to measure the flow. I worked up through the ranks. In 1993 I took a promotion to be the assistant division engineer in Durango. I became more of an administrator at that point.

After retiring I became director of the Southwestern Water Conservation District. I stepped down after becoming a lawmaker. Now I’m a project director there.

Q. So do you collect a state pension in addition to your $30,000 legislative salary?

A. Yes. That’s how I’m able to afford to do this job.

Q. The first Senate bill introduced this year dealt with reducing benefits to your pension because of fears the Public Employees Retirement Association would go broke. Why did you vote “yes?”

A. I understood the importance of maintaining the solvency of that plan. We want it to be there for current and future employees.

But PERA was a tough one. I think one of the most difficult aspects was the cut to cost-of-living increases. I had a lot of folks call me about that. It will be capped at a lower rate. I was fortunate, I had a very good job, but some of the state jobs aren’t as high paying. Some retirees are barely getting by.

Q. What are some of your hobbies?

A. I love music. I play the guitar and sing. I play in a bluegrass band — these days as time allows. It’s called the High Desert String Band. We play mostly for fun, but we’ve played at some local festivals. I also have ridden motorcycles since I was 10. I’ve always got a big smile on my face when I’m finish a ride.

Q. You’ve carried two of the biggest bills this session, House Bill 1001, which increased renewable energy standards, and House Bill 1365, which requires Xcel to look at converting its older power plants from coal to natural gas. Did you know a lot about energy before you signed on?

A. I didn’t start from scratch but it was a steep learning curve.

I had some background. There is a lot of oil and gas development in our area. During my work with the state, the gauging stations were all powered by solar. Prior to being married, I lived in fairly remote area south of Alamosa on the Rio Grande in a small house powered by solar.

And we just installed a geothermal system in our house.

Growing up on the Front Range and in Fort Collins, I remember my dad stopping the car at high spots between Fort Collins and Alt and looking at the brown cloud. Being able to come up with a solution to that, hopefully, is a very positive thing.

Q. Tell me about Senate District 6.

A. It’s in the southwest corner of the state on the New Mexico and Utah borders. It’s a very diverse district. That’s why I like it.

We have a strong agricultural community, with farms and ranches. We have a real strong recreational community. People like to come to our part of the state, whether it’s for rafting, skiing, biking or hiking. We have a very active environmental community, particularly around Durango and Telluride.

We have a lot of energy development. We have the only two reservations in the state: the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain tribes. And Durango is a college town.

I hear lawmakers up here talking about walking their districts and knocking on doors in two days. I’m not sure I could drive to all the different places in my district in two days. The district covers eight counties: Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan and San Miguel.

Q. You don’t drive home on the weekends, do you?

A. No. I usually fly home from Denver Friday afternoons to the Durango airport, which is about 45 minutes from my house. I usually come back Sunday nights so I can attend the Colorado Water Congress meetings Monday mornings.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.